Now I can resume my normal life as it was before HP invaded my space and changed it for good. It's going to be another two or three years before this adrenaline and exhilaration of waiting for a 600+ pages book takes over me again. For now till then, I can rest and wait in gentle peace before that time comes.
Proceed to read and highlight the blanks at your own risk and discretion for spoilers of 'Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince' will be revealed if you do so.
Oh, bloody hell. Anyone who did not read the book yet would not know how I feel right now. Honestly. I just put down the book a few minutes ago which I took approximately 10 hours to read with timed periods of toilet breaks, a cool shower and in between bites to build up my strength to continue reading it. I'm feeling all giddy as a schoolgirl but I can't help myself from not feeling this way. I really just want to spill everything here right now but I would be doing a discredit to the community, whether you're a HP reader or not, by providing essential plot points explicitly and unashamedly. So, here goes.
- I can't believe that Snape is the HBP.
- The best part in the entire book was when Draco had a leg-up on Harry on the train. It's about time that Draco got his revenge even if it is short-lived and Harry probably didn't really deserve it.
- Dumbledore is dead! But I won't say who killed him.
- Ginny and Harry dated for a brief bit towards the end of the book before he had to break it off for "noble" reasons.
- Snape takes over the DADA position.
- It's really a much darker book than the rest of the five books before this combined. I love it.
- One scene in the book stood out as the scene that just shocked me beyond reason. I honestly thought Draco was going to die after what Harry did.
- The little scenes between Ron and Lavender made me want to puke repulsively yet was mildly amused by it.
- I hated to see Malfoy acting so non-existent throughout three quarters of the book before making a big splash at the last few chapters. I missed reading about Draco's Harry-ribbings and torments in Snape's Potions classes and in the corridors.
- I actually like Draco more now after this book. I hated him as a total prat and annoyance in the previous five books but now after all that secrecy thing, he seems more like a threat than anything else so that ups his credibility as a major antagonist in the last book whom Harry will have to face.
- The characters have definitely matured quite a lot in this book. So not for younger children who may not get the implied connotations in some scenes.
- I was annoyed again at the ever present Voldemort yet non-tangible presence of him throughout the book. He's like "there" but not "there". It's just a real pittance that he can't just come out and be wholly there just yet.
- I feel so dumb and ignorant for not recognising a clue about the story right under my nose from the very beginning.
- I have some, if not several, criticisms about the book but I'll save that for later after I've read it again, maybe twice or thrice more. I can't say it's my favourite book or not because I've only read it once and will need several re-reads to confirm on that. So, as of this moment, POA is still my fave book of the series so far, including HBP.
- I like this sixth book a lot more than the previous one.
That's done. Don't come throwing lawsuits in my face or anything like that now if you've gone ahead and highlighted the blanks which contains spoilers. I know my rights and I'm not afraid to exercise them. Well, look at me here running my mouth off like some crazed HP fanatic when I know I'm not like those fanatics. I am not. Really. I like to call myself a misunderstood and sometimes overly engrossed fan who simply likes the pure joy of reading.
